


Tony Stark Is a Verb

by BlossomsintheMist



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Dating, First Dates, M/M, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-03-07 06:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3165527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlossomsintheMist/pseuds/BlossomsintheMist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Tony Stark is a nervous wreck and Jim Rhodes knows him too well for this shit.  Written for Valentine's Day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tony Stark Is a Verb

“Okay, so I think the sea bream they do here is really great, but I don’t know—do you really go for the raw fish?  I remember you like the cucumber roll things but you never seem to go for the  _ika_  or anything, and so if that’s not your speed, the filet is really good, and—”

“Hey, Tony,” Jim says, reaching out to press his hand over Tony’s wrist, curling his fingers around it, capturing his hand against the table.  The new watch Tony gave him earlier is big, heavy and expensive on his own wrist and catches his attention for a moment before he manages to blink past it.  “The waiter can give me the rundown if I really want it.  Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Tony said, that bright, charming (flashy, Jim thinks) smile still on his face, though he blinks a little, and Jim can see his eyelashes flicker as he looks down, before his eyes come back up.  “Well, I can’t give you the day’s special,” he says, “so you’re going to have to bother the actual wait staff for that.”

“I don’t need to,” Jim says, and Tony makes a face.

“Is it too much?” he asks.  “It’s too fancy—it’s too fancy, isn’t it.”

Jim has to smile at that, because how often do you see the one and only Tony Stark fretting anxiously over a date?  Because he knows that’s what’s going on.  Tony might be good at hiding it most of the time—but this is Jim, and he’s not doing the greatest job, anyway.  “It’s not too fancy,” he says.  “You’re too nervous.  It’s not a big deal.”

Tony rolls his eyes a little.  “It’s a first date, it’s Valentine’s Day,” he says.  “It’s a big deal, ace, c’mon.”

“I really don’t care about that stuff,” Jim tells him.  And yeah, the place is a little fancy, but he knew that was going to happen, going in.  Tony’s been a little much, all night, charm turned up high with all that brittleness and anxiety sharpening it underneath.

“You say that now,” Tony says, and laughs, but wow.  No.  No way are they going there.

“I say what I mean,” Jim says, firm now.  “I mean I don’t care, and if you spent Valentine’s Day blasting alien drones out of the sky with me, it’d still be a good time.  Stop Tony Starking me.  It’s  _me_.”  He smiles a little, now.  “You should know by now that’s not gonna work.  Now just order for us, boss.”

“Are you sure you know what you want?” Tony says after a moment, swallows.

“Yeah,” Jim says, and doesn’t move his hand away.  “Pretty sure.”


End file.
